The Court of the Shogun

Applicant: Royal Armouries
Award: £500
Field: Education, Culture

Project:

The ‘Court of the Shogun’ was a key event in the Royal Armouries’ Summer programme inviting visitors to sixteenth century Japan and the court of the Shogun Tokugawa leyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

With an activity programme aimed to raise awareness of the Japanese elements of Royal Armouries’ collection, visitors had the opportunity to engage with a range of events like Batto Jutso (Japanese sword drawing), Kenjutsu, calligraphy and origami, live demonstrations and a gallery tour. Younger visitors took part in craft activities, attended a ‘samurai school’ and had the opportunity to ‘meet’ Shogun Tokuwaga leyasu and hear stories from his life.

The ‘Court of the Shogun’ provided opportunities for visitors to discover more about Japanese armour in the collection, encouraging further exploration and helping to raise awareness by ensuring a wider range of people engaged with the topics and the collection.